The present invention relates generally to a device for adding curvature to bendable structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to devices suitable for imparting additional and permanent curvature to the brim of a cap such as a baseball cap. In addition, the present invention relates to the reshaping of the brim of a cap while also providing a means for displaying or storing the cap being reshaped.
Caps are a well-known object with a fabric dome designed to be worn on the head and a brim section extending generally from the front thereof. The brim is usually fabricated from a cardboard or plastic insert over which a fabric covering is stitched. When manufactured and shipped, the brims of most caps are kept flat to facilitate packing, shipping and storage. After the cap is purchased, it is common for the brims of caps, such as baseball style caps, to be curled by the end user, to improve the ability of the brim to shade the users eyes from light and glare. In many cases, it is also highly desirable, from a fashion standpoint, to have a certain amount of curl to the brim of a cap.
Often the curl is added to the brim by manually manipulating the brim or wrapping it around a curved object with elastic bands so as to push on the edges of the brim, forcing it to bend. These methods generally produce inconsistent results and do not necessarily result in the addition of the smooth and permanent curvature that most cap wearers desire. Prior art devices, designed as an improvement over the manual shaping methods, commonly restrain the edges of the cap brim in slots while applying pressure to the top of the brim via and elasticized band. The drawback to all of those methods that apply forces to the edges of the cap brim is that those forces cause chaffing along the edges of the brim inducing premature failure of the fabric covering and frayed fabric edges at those locations.
In addition, in the prior art, several attempts have been made to create devices that impart a uniform curvature to the brim of a cap. These devices are made as metal molds, plastic frames or plastic clips with have a fixed curvature or a limited selection of preset curvature built into them and do not allow unlimited, variable curvature settings and are primarily focused on maintaining the shape of a cap brim. Since not all people desire the same amount of curvature in their cap brim and because many of these rigid devices are cumbersome, these prior art devices are undesirable to many people.
Many of the prior art devices also attempt to serve a purpose as a display device by installing several rigid frames into a larger frame thus causing an already cumbersome device to require yet more storage space.
In view of the foregoing, there is a demand for a cap brim-shaping device that creates permanent curvature in a cap brim. There is a particular demand for a cap brim-shaping device that can impart a varied amount of curvature to a cap brim without distressing the edges of the brim. In addition, there is a demand for a cap brim-shaping device that can also serve as a compact display and storage device for caps.